The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Synopsis

The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin...

Production Details

Synopsis

The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands. Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum's "precious" ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities... A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

SHOWTIMES

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Much to the chagrin of the adults who caught Star Wars in 1977, or even the ones who grew up with the film in years to come, George Lucas designed his follow-up prequel trilogy with a different audience in mind. As he believed of his original films, the prequels would be crafted for children of the day. As we all know, the expansive, colorful, often-goofy escapade didn't sit terribly well with those who kept a place in their hearts for Luke, Leia, and Han.

With his first of three Hobbit films, An Unexpected Journey, Peter Jackson daringly attempts the same maneuver, aspiring to capture the essence of his Lord of the Rings trilogy while translating it for a younger crowd. Rightfully so — as W. H. Auden notes in his 1954 New York Times review of Fellowship of the Ring, The Hobbit ''is one of the best children's stories of this century.'' What Jackson understands and gets wonderfully right in An Unexpected Journey (and that Lucas failed to understand with 1999's The Phantom Menace) is that kids dream like adults. They harbor different sensibilities, their concept of life's big challenges evolve, but children can be captured by the same iconography as their parents — they just needed it painted in broader strokes.

So Jackson splashes his brush in paint and goes wild. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey sports a lighter tone than its predecessors — comedic routines and a brighter palette making Middle Earth palatable to the youngsters — but the film doesn't lose any of the adventure or danger necessary for J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy. The film follows the titular halfling, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), enlisted by wise old wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellan) to accompany 13 dwarves on their quest to retake the Dwarven homeland now ruled by the nasty dragon Smaug. After surviving the dwarves' impromptu dinner party — a true display of Bilbo's neurosis and Freeman's knack for physical and linguistic comedy — Gandalf and the band of pint size warriors embark on their journey.

The first half of the An Unexpected Journey is stuffed (perhaps overly so) with backstory, introductions to old friends (Elijah Wood makes his necessary appearance early in the film), and silly characterization of the new characters. Jackson loves having the dwarves in his arsenal, an ensemble who can sing songs, scarf down food, and let loose in the fairy tale world. Not since The Frighteners has the director had this much fun on screen, and it's a choice that might turn off fans of the grim original trilogy. Even the keystone of the franchise, composer Howard Shore, opts for a more playful style with bellowing vocals and brighter melodies. For kids and anyone who throws memories to the wind, it's a hoot.

If An Unexpected Journey relied solely on big comedy moments to entrance kids (and their parental guardians), it would fail. But through Bilbo, it puts younger kids in the driver's seat and reminds adults of that low status time in their lives. The central conflict is between the hobbit and the headstrong leader of the dwarves, Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage). The dynamic is like a cool kid and his younger brother — Thorin is saddled with Bilbo, the only one of them capable of sneaking into the Lonely Mountain and stealing back treasure from Smaug. Thorin lets him run with the pack, but embarrasses him to show power. He also protects him from pursuing Orcs (newly added characters who hunt the group and add a necessary amount of action to the plot) when necessary. Thorin is no Aragorn — the relationship between him and Bilbo thinner than anything in LOTR — but it's warm and familiar.

The movie is equally rooted in a love for storytelling, speaking directly to anyone who has ever been tucked in and told a bedtime story. Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) opens the film with a history of the Dwarven people; Gandalf name drops the kooky brown wizard Radagast (Sylvester McCoy) before the action cuts to his story thread, and early into their

TOP ANTICIPATED

MovieTickets.com is a worldwide leader in advance movie ticketing and a top destination for news, celebrity interviews, movie reviews and trailers. You can also access theater information, check movie showtimes, view video clips, and much more.